Power Surge Shuts Australia’s Largest Ammonia Plant

The nation’s largest ammonia plant which produces 850,000 tonnes a year of a key chemical used in fertiliser and explosives has been shut down by a power surge.

The shutdown of the Pilbara ammonia plant could impact the supply of urea fertiliser, a critical input for Australia’s multi-billion dollar grain and agriculture sectors. rawpixel/ 123RF

A power surge has shutdown Australia’s largest ammonia plant in the Pilbara, north of Western Australia, with operations expected to be offline for weeks.

The plant is owned by Norwegian company Yara and produces about 850,000 tonnes of ammonia each year.